Tags

, , , , , , , ,

I still like to listen to some of my old Jesus music.  There were several good Christian singer/songwriters back in the 70’s, but few better than Bob Bennett. I’m thankful that he’s still writing and recording today.  Many of his songs, both old and new, touch me deeply.

Most of Bob’s songs are original compositions.  Occasionally though, he writes his own arrangement of an old hymn, as he did with My Redeemer Lives (click to listen) on his very first album.  You can still buy that CD, entitled First Things First, as well as some of Bob’s other music from his online store.

This post, however, is not about Bob’s music in general.  Rather this is about one particular song Bob wrote a few years ago for his son, who was a Marine serving in Iraq at the time.  One of the things Bob does best as a songwriter is bare his heart as he tells a story.  This song is a perfect example.  I dedicate it to everyone who has ever served in the military (both to those who have lived and those who have died), and to the family members who love them.

Click to listen to My Heart Across the Ocean

You can read more about the song and download it for free at Bob’s website.  Here are the lyrics:

MY HEART ACROSS THE OCEAN
WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY BOB BENNETT
© 2003 BRIGHT AVENUE SONGS (ASCAP)

I am an American father
And as countless fathers have done before
I hide my tears in the middle of the night
For I’ve sent my American son to war
Far from this fruited plain
To the eye of a desert storm

So proud of the man he’s made of himself
Semper fi and the uniformPlanes and tanks and satellite phones
Flashing across on our TVs
But we still have commercials in between
The Wall Street scores and the casualties

So I pray my prayers as best I can
And hold on tight to the notion
That all of life is in God’s hands
And my heart is across the ocean

I was never in the military
My father served and now my son
Sometimes I wonder if it had to be
Could I ever do what they have done?

But every day I look for hope
My fears under my breath
For all parents share the same nightmare
That we might follow our child in death

So many mothers and fathers now
At the very start, they were just like me
Now their sons and daughters are standing watch
On the other side of eternity

So I pray for them and I pray for myself
With faltering devotion
To the One Who shares our sorrows and cares
For my heart is across the ocean

My heart is across the ocean

(BONUS:  Here’s another poignant song Bob wrote while going through a painful divorce:  I’m Still Alive Tonight)

Advertisement